Searching for the right puppy for you can be a stressful yet rewarding experience – you’ll be ending it with a new family member, after all! However, there are so many breeds out there that it can be a little daunting to determine which is going to fit your lifestyle the best.
Goldendoodles are lovely, friendly dogs that fit well into most family homes. They’re cute and adorable and socialize well with children and other pets. If you’ve decided to adopt a Goldendoodle for yourself, you’re already well underway with welcoming your new pet into your house.
However, the decisions don’t stop there. Many people underestimate the importance of choosing the gender of your new Goldendoodle. Male and female Goldendoodles have their own characteristics and benefits that you should consider first.
Choosing the gender of your new dog is more important than just getting a female because you have a cute name already picked out. Today we’ll be looking into whether a male or female Goldendoodle will fit into your home and lifestyle better.
Key differences between male and female Goldendoodles
Now let’s get right into the differences between male and female Goldendoodles. These should help you to make your decision of which gender works best for you much easier.
Size
The general consensus is that male Goldendoodles are slightly larger than female alternatives. This is true for both their height and weight. Although the size difference isn’t too drastic, the difference between a male and female Goldendoodle will be around 10%.
The difference in size between the Goldendoodle genders will be most noticeable in standard sizes. Toy and Teacup Goldendoodles are smaller than Standard Goldendoodles and therefore this size difference might not even be noticeable to many owners.
However, if you’re looking for a smaller dog, the female Goldendoodle might be best for you. On the other hand, people who like larger dogs might want to opt for a male Goldendoodle instead.
Bear in mind that female dogs tend to mature faster and therefore will appear to be growing larger than a male Goldendoodle puppy. However, by the time they both reach maturity and their final size, the male should be larger than the female.
Behavior and Temperament
When it comes to the behavior of Goldendoodles, there are two main differences between male and female dogs. These are humping and territory marking. Let’s look at how these differ between male and female Goldendoodles.
Humping
Dogs humping anything that they can find might be funny the first time you see it, but it can quickly become very irritating and annoying. This might be the main difference between male and female Goldendoodles.
Both female and male Goldendoodles hump anything they can find when they’re in season, although it is more commonly seen in male Goldendoodles.
Humping is not typically used as a sexual act, but instead, it is seen as playful behavior or asserting their dominance over someone else. You can train your Goldendoodle to stop humping things, although this can take a long time for them to learn.
Having your dog neutered or spayed can also stop this behavior from being shown as much. Again, while males are more likely to hump anything they can find, females are not always innocent, either.
Territory Marking
Many people make the assumption that male Goldendoodles are more likely to mark their territory more often than females. However, females can also mark their territory using their urine. One big difference between the sexes is that neutering your male Goldendoodle will often lessen this behavior.
So, there isn’t much difference in male and female Goldendoodles when it comes to them marking their territory. However, you can lessen the behavior in males by neutering them.
Instead, the main difference between male and female Goldendoodles is how they go to the bathroom. While females squat and pee directly downwards, males like to lift their legs and pee recklessly to the side of them.
Some people prefer a female Goldendoodle thanks to how they pee more classy than males. Males might take to peeing over your fences, walls, or flowers, potentially damaging your possessions over time.
However, neutering your male dog early might make them more likely to squat while they pee as well, eliminating this difference altogether.
Similarities between male and female Goldendoodles
Health
Unfortunately, Goldendoodles are susceptible to certain health conditions during their lifetime due to excessive breeding. This is more common in Toy and Teacup Goldendoodles or dogs that have been purchased from unverified breeders.
These health conditions can target any Goldendoodle regardless of their gender, so opting for one or the other will not reduce the likelihood of your dog getting a health condition. Both male and female Goldendoodles have a similar lifespan.
The most common health conditions that Goldendoodles can suffer from are as follows:
- Cataracts
- Cancer
- Von Willebrand’s Disease
- Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis
- Ear Infections
- Patellar Luxation
- Hip Dysplasia
- Epilepsy
- Bloating
- Progressive Retinal Atrophy
To prepare for the possibility of these health conditions in your Goldendoodle, always make sure that your breeder is trusted and verified, and invest in good dog health insurance. This will help you pay for the best possible care for your dog should they contract a health condition during their lifetime.
Grooming Needs
Again, there are no known differences between the grooming needs of a male Goldendoodle compared to a female. The coat of your dog will be dependent on the generation of Goldendoodle they are, as well as their parents and genetic makeup.
So, the gender won’t make your dog harder or easier to groom. Likewise, the gender won’t affect how hypoallergenic your dog is or the specific features of your Goldendoodle.
Regardless of whether you opt for a male or female Goldendoodle, you’ll need to spend just as much time and money on grooming your dog.
Goldendoodles will need a grooming session every eight weeks to prevent their coats from becoming matted and uncomfortable for your dog.
Make sure that you invest in the best grooming brush to keep your dog comfortable between these grooming appointments. For those that are interested in the best techniques, check out our blog on how to groom a Goodlendoodle.
Personality Differences
There are many beliefs out there about the differences between male and female Goldendoodle personalities, but most of these are actually incorrect.
For example, there is a lot of conflicting information online as to whether male Goldendoodles are more aggressive than females, or that males tend to bite more than females.
While there has been some research indicating that male dogs are slightly more aggressive than female dogs, this is not always the case.
The researchers often conclude in their studies that the aggression that dogs display, despite their gender, will be due to their circumstances and training instead of their gender.
Dogs need to be socialized and trained properly from a young age to prevent them from developing aggressive tendencies.
Another misconception is that female Goldendoodles are more friendly and loving than males. This is simply not the case. Sure, you might be able to find a friendlier female Goldendoodle than a male, but you might also be able to find a friendlier male.
Again, this is all to do with circumstance and their individual personalities. No matter whether your Goldendoodle is male or female, their personal characteristics will come down to their DNA and how they were raised instead of their gender.
Overall, male and female Goldendoodles do not have fixed personalities and therefore cannot all be lumped together in assumptions about their personalities.
If you spay or neuter your dog while they’re still young, they shouldn’t exhibit any aggressive behavior or territory marking. The only way to definitively discover the personality of your Goldendoodle is to raise them correctly and watch them grow.
A Goldendoodle that has been socialized and trained correctly from a young age should not have any undesirable personality traits. However, if they do these can often be trained out of them by you or a professional.
In Summary
As you can see, there are actually not that many differences between male and female Goldendoodles that might influence your decision. However, there still are a few differences that you should take into account such as the size and weight of your dog.
Male Goldendoodles will get to be 10% larger than female Goldendoodles once they hit maturity, although females do tend to grow faster than males. If you want a smaller dog to fit into a smaller house or apartment, a female could be the best option for you.
Alternatively, if you don’t mind a larger dog who might require slightly more space and walking time, a male Goldendoodle will fit into your lifestyle well.
Some slight differences in their behaviors should also be noted and considered, as males tend to hump things and mark their territory differently from females. However, if you’re planning to neuter your pet quickly, these behavioral differences don’t tend to pose an issue.
In fact, females might be slightly more irritating than males when it comes to humping and territory marking, as spaying them often doesn’t stop this behavior like neutering does for males.
Again, male and female dogs will urinate differently. While this isn’t an issue for many owners, if you’d prefer a dog to do their business in a more classy manner, perhaps opt for a female Goldendoodle.
Other than these differences, there are a lot of ways male and female Goldendoodles are similar. However, we hope that the above differences have helped you come to a decision as to whether a male or female Goldendoodle will fit into your home better.
We would advise you to not listen to all of the information online stating that male Goldendoodles are more aggressive and less friendly than females. How aggressive your dog is will depend on how you raise them rather than their gender, so don’t opt for a female and assume that you won’t have to train her to be sociable and friendly.
This misconception might leave you with an aggressive dog that you have to train as an adult, which is much harder to do. By not training them properly when they’re young, you might find that a Goldendoodle is too much work for you and give up on them.